Free Balikbayan Visa for
former Philippine citizens and for foreign spouses and minor foreign
unmarried children of Filipinos and former Filipino citizens
No visa shall be required for a maximum stay of one
(1) year [renewable for an additional 6 months for a total of 18 months] for the following Balikbayans, every time they enter the
Philippines to visit, regardless of the frequency of their travel to the
Philippines.
1. Former Philippine citizens (including Filipinos who have become
naturalized U.S. citizens, and citizens of the Bahamas, Bermuda and other
countries within the jurisdiction of the Embassy of Washington, D.C.);
Also eligible are Filipino citizens living overseas. A typical situation is
that the Filipino visitor to the Philippines is not yet a foreign citizen,
but he or she has an immigration card from a foreign nation [such as a
"green card" in the USA].
2. Foreign spouses and minor foreign unmarried children of Filipinos and
former Filipino citizens.
The balikbayan free visa privilege is extended
to former Philippine citizens, the foreign spouse and the foreign minor
unmarried children of Philippine citizens, provided that:
1. they are nationals of Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan,
Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,
Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad,
Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji,
Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada,
Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,
Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands,
Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco,
Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua,
Niger, Norway, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru,
Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and
Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon
Islands, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland,
Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates,
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of
Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, or Vietnam; and
2. they are traveling together to the Philippines with the balikbayan
spouse.
The former Philippine citizen shall declare before
a Philippine Immigration Officer at the port of entry that he/she is
availing of the balikbayan privilege and shall present his/her valid
passport in addition to any of the following documents:
1. cancelled Philippine passport;
2. birth certificate; 3. naturalization papers to show former Philippine
citizenship; or
4. certification from the adopted country.
The accompanying foreign spouse and foreign
minor unmarried children of Filipinos and former Filipino citizens shall
declare before a Philippine Immigration Officer at the port of entry that
he/she is accompanied by a Filipino or former Filipino spouse or parent and
that he/she is availing of the balikbayan privilege, and shall present
his/her valid passport in addition to the following:
1. Foreign spouse: Valid passport and Marriage certificate
2. Foreign Minor unmarried children: Birth certificate
3. Adopted children: Adoption papers
For further verification please call the Philippine Embassy at 202-467-9300
or 202-467-9324 for more information |
